As It Is have announced that they have parted ways with bassist Alistair Testo.
Ali joined the band back in 2014. He played on all of the band’s full-lengths since, the last being this year’s ‘I WENT TO HELL AND BACK’.
The band had this to say about the departure:
“It’s with only love in our hearts that we announce Ali’s departure from As It Is. You’ll be so missed, brother. Thank you for it all.”
It’s with only love in our hearts that we announce Ali’s departure from As It Is. You’ll be so missed, brother. Thank you for it all. 🖤 Ali’s note below. pic.twitter.com/qOsUul8pD4
And Ali had this to say in his own message to fans:
“Hi everyone, A note to let you know that I am leaving As It Is. The interruption that happened to all our lives over the last couple of years afforded me a chance to reflect on my priorities and gave me change in perspective.
I have loved the journey that being a part of As It Is has taken me on and I have nothing but love for all involved. However, alongside the good times and dream moments is a lot of hard work and sacrifice.
As we emerged from the pandemic and started touring again the motivation and love was not as strong as it once was. It became clear to me that I wasn’t willing to make the same sacrifices as before and I came to the conclusion that it was time to call it a day.
Thanks for a wild ride. It’s been emotional. Ali.”
Hi everyone,
A note to let you know that I am leaving As It Is.
The interruption that happened to all our lives over the last couple of years afforded me a chance to reflect on my priorities and gave me change in perspective.
Reading and Leeds Festival have added a whole load of new acts to their line-up.
As It Is, Sueco, Static Dress, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, WILLOW, All Time Low, cleopatrick, Tigercub, Kid Kapachi and Witch Fever have all been announced to be playing.
They join the already announced Bring Me The Horizon, Halsey and Rage Against The Machine.
Also playing are Måneskin, Enter Shikari, FEVER 333, Kid Brunswick, jxdn, Pale Waves, Denzel Curry.
The festival will be taking place between August 26-28 at Bramham Park and Richfield Avenue respectively.
Weekend tickets are SOLD OUT but day tickets are still available via the following link.
As It Is have shared another track from their upcoming album ‘I Went To Hell And Back’, and it’s a little bit of a surprising one.
‘IN THREES’ takes cues more from electronica and SoundCloud rap as much as their rock and pop-punk roots, with dark and decadent synths coating the tone of the track There’s also guest vocals from Set It Off’s Cody Carson and Jordy Purp to add an extra layer of twisted melody.
Vocalist Patty Walters had this to say about the track:
“[It is inspired] by spending too much time all alone in your head. You start to build an alternate reality, where what’s ‘true’ is twisted and contorted, and after enough time, it becomes reality. And it leaves you hurt and spiteful and violent and numb. It’s an intensely dark listen, both lyrically and musically, but it was a total opposition experience to create.”
And guitarist Ronnie Ish added:
“It’s about internal fires that start inside of our heads with having zero energy and no interest in extinguishing. Instead, we let the fire spread, consuming every room inside our mind and let it burn down everything inside. It’s about accepting defeat, making a bed in the darkness, and succumbing to that alternate reality.”
As It Is have announced the details of their upcoming full-length album.
‘I Went To Hell And Back’ is set to be released on February 04 via Fearless Records.
Vocalist Patty Walters had this to say about it:
“As profoundly pessimistic as this record sounds on the surface, it isn’t all doom and gloom. Feelings like sadness and hopelessness will eat you alive if you let them. I hope this record is there for anybody feeling as lousy or as inadequate as I was. “
“I don’t relate to happy music – never have, never will. Sad music, it reminds you that you’re not alone. It isn’t going to fix things but sometimes it’s enough to know that other people understand”.
[I hope] ‘I WENT TO HELL AND BACK’ feels like “catching up with an old friend. We can talk about all the good and terrible things that have happened, and how we’ve grown from that. We’re not the same band and I’m sure our fans aren’t the same people they were last time we put out an album, but I hope they haven’t forgotten why we were friends in the first place.”
Check out the Cover Art and Tracklisting below.
1) IDGAF 2) I LIE TO ME 3) ILY, HOW ARE YOU? 4) IDC, I CAN’T TAKE IT 5) I’D RATHER DIE 6) I MISS 2003 7) I’M SICK AND TIRED 8) I WANT TO SEE GOD 9) IN THREES 10) I HATE ME TOO 11) I’M GONE 12) I DIE 1000X 13) I CAN’T FEEL A THING 14) I WENT TO HELL AND BACK
You can also listen to ‘I MISS 2003’ now, a homage to the music of yesterday and the profound effect it had on all of us.
The band explained the song’s themes:
“This was the last song written for the album, written and tracked in the last two days of recording. Thematically, there was little left unsaid on the album, which is always a liberating feeling because no risk is off-limits anymore. Why not write a love song about the bands that sparked a fire inside you? Why not decorate all the lyrics with band names and song titles? It was a true joy to write, and in its own weird way, it felt like we were writing this in the 2000s. So if you were there, we hope this song takes you back. And if you missed out, we hope this song makes you feel like you lived through it all with us.”
Check out the video for ‘I MISS 2003’ below.
Pre orders for ‘I Went To Hell And Back’ are available via the following link.
Wow. Slam Dunk Festival is done and dusted for the first time in two years after a few pushbacks but it finally happened! We’ll get to the actual review of things in another post because there was just so much emotion on the day, I’m still finding the words for it all.
But now, there’s a question of what’s next for the bands that played the festival less than a week ago? That’s what this series of posts is for! We’re going band by band to see where and when in the UK they’re going to play next as well as any music they’ve released recently.
The Bottom Line.
Slaying the Main Stage for the first time ever at the festival and with the latest tracks ‘Long Time Coming’ as well as ‘Broke’, the bands stock is at an all time high and will continue to rise!
In the last few days the quartet released the details of what will be the bands only headlining show for 2021 which will take play on October 10th at The Camden Assembly in London.
Roam
The Eastbourne quartet had a hell of a time with all the crowd surfers as the second band to take centre stage this year. Let’s just say they know how to put on a show!
At the time of writing, currently there’s been no announcements of any upcoming tours or music but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an announcement soon and if there’s any new music going, it’ll be pretty good to say the least!
HelloGoodbye
After setting off the Main Stage to some well received applause, the festival faves are set to tour the US up until the second half of October. In addition there’s been no word of new music but the latest release came in the form of the 2020 single, ‘God Only Knows’.
As It Is
Wherever you turn, As It Is seem to be up to something, whether it’s a show, Music Video or a new music release.
Just in time for Slam Dunk this year, they managed to do two of those things playing warm up shows in Brighton and Swansea which I heard were absolute carnage! Also, they dropped the double headed ‘ILY, How Are You? / IDC, I Can’t Take It”.
So I guess that could possibly mean a new record is on the way? I’ll let everyone know if and when that information becomes available but there is a new music video coming later today at 3:45PM!
As for touring news, there is none announced in the near future but if their activity is anything to go by, I’d assume maybe something soon? I’ve got my fingers crossed for that one!
Creeper
Another British band with a lot on their plate is the ever fantastic Creeper. With their latest record ‘American Noir’ which dropped earlier in the year providing a fair bit of new material, they’re keen to get everything out in the live show format with their upcoming December 2021 run of shows set to go off in amazing fashion which will act as a sort of Slam Dunk Festival 2021 reunion with Holding Absence, Wargasm and Static Dress all set for support slots on the tour.
Here’s the dates.
December 2021
15th – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
16th – Concorde 2, Brighton – SOLD OUT
17th – O2 Institute, Birmingham – SOLD OUT
19th – Garage, Glasgow – SOLD OUT
20th – O2 Ritz, Manchester – SOLD OUT
21st – Stylus, Leeds
We Are The In Crowd
After six years since their last UK show, it was emotional to say the least to be watching We Are The In Crowd once again. With that being said will we ever see them again? The short answer is we’re not sure.
As far as anyone knows, this is the last time we’ll see the band as they are because there’s no new music, tour dates or announcements posted and their socials are a little bleak. However they did post a message to their Instagram account which you can view below.
Another band who absolutely got the crowd going were the ever impressive Mayday Parade.
With the band releasing ‘Bad At Love’ last month in time for the festival shenanigans, there was plenty to be buzzed about for this bands set.
At the moment, they’re on tour with Microwave until the end of the month with some other dates sprinkled
State Champs
just announced uk tour
Right so these US faves have been all over the place at the moment! They’ve released two new tracks, ‘Just Sound’ & ‘Outta My Head’ to rave reviews from fans where they did perform both tracks at the festival!
Just after the festival wrapped, literally less than twenty four hours after the conclusion of the Hatfield date, they announced they’re coming back in 2022!
Here are the dates below!
May 2022
8th – Marble Factory, Bristol
9th – Engine Rooms, Southampton
11th – Electric Ballroom, London
12th – Electric Ballroom, London
14th – SWG3 Galvenisers, Glasgow
15th – Ritz, Manchester
17th -Beckett Students Union, Leeds
18th – Institute, Birmingham
Waterparks
Hitting up the UK because we just love them so much, Waterparks had to come across to cover Leeds and Reading after a few of the bands had to drop out due to Covid-19 restrictions. That meant they had plenty of warm ups (including a SOLD OUT Key Club show in Leeds) before being the penultimate band to play at this years SDF.
Now the trio have got a lot of shows before they make their way back to the UK for their rescheduled dates for 2022 in June of next year and there’s a lot!
But nevertheless, here’s their rescheduled dates you’ll be waiting for.
June 2022
17th – O2 Academy, Leeds
18th – O2 Academy, Manchester
19th – O2 Academy, Glasgow
21st – Rock City, Nottingham
22nd – O2 Brixton Academy, London
23rd – O2 Academy, Bristol
25th – O2 Academy, Birmingham
uk 2022
Don Broco
Main Stage headliners Don Broco put on a huge display at the closing of both dates of this years festival and currently have a new record on its way!
Sadly their upcoming record, ‘Amazing Things’ got pushed back to October 22nd but it’s going to happen!
Now this means the in-store signings have been pushed back and will be rescheduled but the dates haven’t been confirmed as of yet.
The bands full statement can be read below.
“Hey guys, we’ve got some important news to share with you regarding the upcoming release of our album ‘Amazing Things’. We’ve been told this week that due to Covid related vinyl delays, we have no choice but to delay the release date to 22 October.
We want everyone to be able to experience ‘Amazing Things’ all at the same time and are gutted we have to wait a little longer, but promise it’s going to be worth it. Thank you so much to everyone who’s pre-ordered the album so far.
Unfortunately, this means our in-store signings at HMV won’t go ahead. We understand that HMV will be in contact directly with any fans who were planning to come. Our Banquet Records show at Pryzm in Kingston will be rescheduled, news to follow.
This has even us the opportunity to restock some of the sold out and low stock vinyl variants, including the Manchester Super Reds special edition back on our store now. Thanks so much for your understanding & super watch out for the Uber video coming this week x”
The band are set to tour their upcoming record this October / November as well for a run of headlining shows plus they will be taking tot he stage at Esquires in Before on November 23rd with all the proceeds going straight to the venue to help with their support.
Here are the tour dates for Don Broco:
October 2021
O2 Academy, Newcastle
27th – Barrowlands, Glasgow
28th – Academy, Manchester
29th – Academy, Manchester
31st – Guildhall, Portsmouth
November 2021
1st – Rock City, Nottingham
2nd – Rock City, Nottingham
4th – UEA, Norwich
5th – O2 Academy Brixton, London
6th – O2 Academy, Brixton
23rd – Esquires, Bedford
Until next time Slam Dunk Festival which is set to take play in June of 2022.
So Slam Dunk Festival got moved around a handful of times and nearly didn’t happen but our prayers were answered and everything got to happen as scheduled!
They came out on top but they ultimately had to lose a number of bands due to covid restrictions but…. do we really need to complain? The show went on at both dates in Leeds and Hatfield as scheduled!
The day was in a nutshell, inspiring, exhilarating and emotional to say the least where in fact for some bands for the first time since the pandemic began to a fully live audience!
Okay so firstly just getting there, everything ran without a hitch. With the coach service to the festival running more smoothly everything was off to a good start.
When the floodgates opened shall we say…. there was just an absolute collective rush of energy which had been building for the last eighteen months. People running off to get their spot for their favourite bands, such. sight!
So after the little work of figuring out who to go see, first up on the day was The Key Club stage with For You The Moon. The newcomers to the scene did get people going, even if they were on the softer side of things for the day but it made me all the more hungry to want more from them. Speeding over to the Jägermeister stage for the the end of Blood Youth, you could feel the energy in the pits as well as the emotion for what was would be what was frontman Kaya Tarsus’s last show with the band. Who can blame them for a YOKRSHIRE chant? What I was quite surprised by was how full that crowd was because I don’t think the tent was less than half full for a single band on the day! Way to show your support people!
Shifting across back to The Key Club Stage for the The Hara, this was a band full of energy and genuine craziness.They’re one band on the day which just gave me everything I wanted and more which fed in well over to Doll Skin, with some powerful tracks at their disposal and one performance that is simple but it works so well, with a few acrobatics on it as well. Leading into the special guests which were… (drumroll please) MCFLY! Quite a few people were surprised to say the least but I found myself quite shocked at how heavy they sounded considering they’re quite a more pop orientated band. But realistically, they have to book McBusted for next year right?? It’s the only logical option.
After a little food and watching As It Is from the grass on the Rock Scene Stage I did manage to catch Creeper where they prove just how far they’ve come over the years. Last time they set the festival alight and they’re carrying on that trajectory and I give it maybe five years or so and they could be potential headliners to the whole thing.
Moving back over for The Key Club stage in Static Dress, I do have to say they were a little disappointing not really hitting the mark because of technical difficulties plaguing their set where they compensated with the amount of energy from frontman Olli Appleyard.
It was from this point, I ran into a few problems. The first was being for Funeral For A Friend as well as Trash Boat because I honestly couldn’t get into the Jägermeister Stage! Now it’s amazing to see that there was so many people off to watch them but I don’t think the festival organisers were anticipated the crowd. Nevertheless, I managed to hear a few tracks while I was talking to one or two people and honestly, it was exquisite.
Heading across for the highlight of the festival over to the Rock Scene Stage (even though they were plagued by twenty minutes of technical difficulties) and making their first appearance of a band for six years were We Are The In Crowd. Now I’m not going to lie, thirty seconds into their set, I was nearly in tears, mainly because it felt so good to have this band back, and also because they opened with The Best Thing (That Never Happened) and that song is just so great to listen to.
Now, moving back quickly for the last of Wargasm as well as Lizzy Farrall over on The Key Club stage, there was plenty of energy about again where the terrible twosome of vocals for Wargasm were nothing short of amusing yet amazing. There’s something always so atmospherically charged when they take to the stage and oh so amazing to watch where I’m pretty sure there was a music-gasm during their set but we’ll let the audience decide on that one..
Now onto Lizzy Farrall, one of the festival veterans having played multiple times where previously the artist has only played acoustically here but with her full band debut it’s always so utterly fantastic to watch her play. It feels as if the release of her record ‘Bruise’ really stepped up her game where her sass and banter just come out in full force.
Moving across back to the Rock Scene Stage for State Champs, I wasn’t sure what to expect really but for them the performance was just effortless. They got into the swing of things so quickly and had people up and down as if it was too easy for them. with he added tracks to their catalogue of ‘Just Sound’ and ‘Outta My Head’, these only helped strengthen the emotion of their set just in time for some crowdsurfing.
Rushing back across to The Key Club Stage for the last few tracks in Normandie’s set, the Sweedish band show you they show you why they deserve your attention. Fans will know their music is a lot of build and not just rise and fall where the vocals of Phillip Strand just add to the experience of what you’re witnessing.
Last up on The Key Club Stage were Holding Absence, the Welsh protégées who’ve refined their sound into what Post-hardcore is and when ‘Celebration Song’ hit all I heard was people going absolutely crazy for them and possibly a few pits, I’m fifty-fifty on what I saw there. Nevertheless, their performance showcased the melodic genius of their latest record, ‘The Greatest Mistake Of My Life’ which is uplifted byhow much love they’re getting from the crowd that’s come to watch.
Don Broco were the last band of mine to watch on the day and honestly, one I was looking forward to the most where it’s safe to say that I didn’t leave disappointed with the band putting out some variety across their now lengthy catalogue of tracks. With the production of their set, no expense was too little with laser displays as well as pyro sparking up, and even the inclusion of Waterparks’ Awsten Knight and While She Sleeps’ Loz Taylor joining the band on stage for the UK live debut of Action. Some tracks you just wish you could see live again because as you hear it in another way it stays with you and that’s exactly what the band did with Automatic, Technology and more.
Despite the technical difficulties through the day, it felt so good to be back at Temple Newsman and now next year, hopefully some of the bands which had to pull out can make it back and we can watch in full force with more madness!
Don’t forget check out the pics I took from the crowds below!
As It Is have announced the band have parted ways with their drummer and found member, Patrick Foley.
The news of the departure was shared via the band on Twitter, where Foley cited his desire to explore other career opportunities, wher ehe says that he hopes to become a firefighter in the future.
There is also a video announcement rom the band as well as a statement which you can check out below.
“Our brother and friend Patrick Foley has decided to step back from As It Is, to pursue a brand new career as a fire fighter.
We could not be more proud of him (and are keeping him on speed dial for when we next use pyro in a live show)
All love, Patty, Ali, Ronnie x”
Our brother and friend @foley_as_it_is has decided to step back from As It Is, to pursue a brand new career as a fire fighter.
We could not be more proud of him (and are keeping him on speed dial for when we next use pyro in a live show)
Hello everyone! Welcome back to the new music roundup. We’re here for a roundup of five of the best recently released tracks. They’re not all within the same genre and they’re all different in some way or another but that means that there’s a little something for everyone here but come on, let’s get down to the music!
First up this week is that one who keeps delivering amazing riffs and fantastic tracks, Machine Gun Kelly. His latest release, ‘Concert For Aliens’ sees him team up with Travis Barker (Blink-182) for a piece which just channels classic Pop-Punk in th ebest ways and if you’re wondering…. yes. It’s stuck in my head.
Seconds on this week is the Rockers from down south in As It Is.
The band recently released a reworked version of their track, ‘Soap’ which featured on their 2017 record, ‘Okay’.
The band performed the re-imagining of the track during their Fearless Records virtual music festival, ‘Fearless At Home’ set, which originally took place back in May.
The studio version, titled as ‘Soap 2020’ is available to listen to below.
Keeping in the realm of Pop-Punk right now, Knuckle Puck are gearing towards their upcoming record, ’20/20′ which is set to be released on the 18th September 2020.
The band have released their fourth track from the upcoming release in the form of ‘What Took You So Long?’ which is another brilliant evocative form of Pop-Punk.
Now, get ready to discover one of your next favourite bands.
For the penultimate pick this week, I’ve selected Honey Joy whom released a new song from their forthcoming second album ‘II’, which is set for release 04 Sept via London indie punk label Everything Sucks. The song ‘Pain’ is about a patient vocalist Meg Tinsley was tending to (in her role as a nurse) who was in a lot of pain.
‘Pain’ exemplifies Honey Joy’s ability to draw upon their punk rock and indie pop influences in a cathartic swirl of sound and spirit. It’s also representative of the album’s split inspiration. ‘II’ is a journey between the dark and the light. Meg wrote half the songs whilst signed-off sick from work due to her mental health and the other half when she was out the other side and on a mission of self love. It’s “an exploration of the places your mind can go and a narrative of my experiences during those times,” she says.
Matt, Jay (drums), Giles (guitar) and Joe (bass) grew up together and have been playing music in bands with each other since they were 16 years old. As Honey Joy, the band have played shows across the UK and in Europe and the US. They released their self-titled debut album in 2017.
And lastly for this week we had to go with this artist. For the last few weeks Marilyn Manson has been getting fans ready to ‘prepare’ for an announcement and for good reason.
‘We Are Chaos’ is the first new music off his upcoming eleventh studio record set to be released on 11th September 2020.
On the record, Manson explains:
“When I listen to We Are Chaos now, it seems like just yesterday or as if the world repeated itself, as it always does, making the title-track and the stories seem as if we wrote them today. This was recorded to its completion without anyone hearing it until it was finished. There is most definitely a side A and side B in the traditional sense. But just like an LP, it is a flat circle and it’s up to the listener to put the last piece of the puzzle into the picture of songs.”
He continues: “This concept album is the mirror Shooter [Jennings] and I built for the listener – it’s the one we won’t stare into. There are so many rooms, closets, safes and drawers. But in the soul or your museum of memories, the worst are always the mirrors. Shards and slivers of ghosts haunted my hands when I wrote most of these lyrics.
“Making this record, I had to think to myself: ‘Tame your crazy, stitch your suit. And try to pretend that you are not an animal,’ but I knew that mankind is the worst of them all. Making mercy is like making murder. Tears are the human body’s largest export.”
And that’s it for another week of a countdown of the best singles out in the world in the last week. Be sure to check back next-time for another round of great music videos. If you have any suggestions for me to check out, be sure to send an email or message us via the socials on Facebook or Twitter!
Online festivals are surely becoming the norm in 2020 but could they become the new normal? Nevertheless, the rock community is getting its hands in as Five4Five fest is confirming it’s full lineup.
The reason it’s being called Five4Five fest though? 10 bands in total over the two days on May 15th and 16th.
And now we have the full lineup.
Friday 15th May 2020
Don Broco
Deaf Havana Hot Milk
Stay Free
Lizzy Farrall
Saturday 16th May 2020
Enter Shikari
As It Is
Fatherson
The Dangerous Summer
Tigress
Tickets to watch are free of charge, but attendees are encouraged to donate £5 which will go towards the NHS to help them during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. A link will be provided at the time of the festival for the people to submit their donation.
Along with the performances, prizes are to be won on each date.
To celebrate the five year anniversary of their debut full-length record, ‘Never Happy, Ever After’ (Wait, it’s seriously five years?) Patty Walters has played the full record live!
Patty played the full record acoustically via Youtube.
In his words, it’s going was just “me, my acoustic, and you”.
Almost Anything Music 